As homeschoolers, every Thursday morning we attend a co-op made up of about 80 families in our area. It ranges in ages from baby to senior in high school. All different types of classes are taught to the children, like art, foreign language, gym, science, the list goes on and on. It's nice for Lilla as she gets that social interaction in a classroom setting every week.
The parents are all a part of teaching the classes. My bestie and I teach a class on photography for 5th graders. This is our first year so we are stumbling through it, but apparently the kids like it a lot and may be learning a thing or two as they go.
One of the children in the class, a young man, has some different learning and behavioral issues he is learning to overcome. You know, we all have different ways of learning and coping, his just seem a little more pronounced in a classroom setting.
Anyway, we are working on a project with the children to give to their parents as Christmas gifts. Last week we were going around the room asking the children what their parents would like a sign to say made of up letters. Some said faith, joy, family, the kids all came up with something different.
When asked what this particular boy's mom would like he first of all struggled and then said, "She'd just like me to leave her alone."
It's one of those moments you kind of just stop and try to catch your breath to say the right thing. You don't know what to say.
I've thought about that moment several times since then. Even this morning as I was washing the dishes and Lilla came up for no reason but I could tell she wanted something. I was rushing to clean and just said, in a hurried way, "Lilla, if you need something just tell me."
She said she didn't need anything and just walked away. I thought back to this young man and wondered if my own children felt that way. As though I just want them to leave me alone.
Sometimes through a particularly hectic day, when I am frazzled and pulled in a million different ways, that does feel to be the truth. However, I don't want them to ever feel that way. I want them to feel loved, cared for, at home in my arms.
I'm thinking of ways to make them feel that way today.
